Locking-band for pneumatic-tire covers.



PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906'.

J. GOTTRELL. V LOCKING BAND FOR PNEUMATIC TIRE covms.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 30. 1902. I

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A -FTC RN EVE m. 82$,M1. PATENT-ED AUG. 14 1906. J UOTTRELL.

LGGKING BAND FOR PNEUMATIC TIRE COVERS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30. 1902. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNETED are .rrion.

JAMES oo'rrsELL; OF LONDON, ENGLA D, ASSIGNOR TO ALFRED HENRY a SMITH,-OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

neonates-BAND FOR PNEUMATEC-TI'RE 'COV;ERS.

' are. seasei.

l Specification of Letters Patent.

.Iatented Aug; .14, 906.

Application filed December 30,1902, a N0. 137;161i T county of Surrey, London, England, (whosef post-ofice address is thesame as above,)

have invented certain new and useful -Improvements in Locking-Bands for the Covers of Pneumatic Tires; and Idohereby declare the following to hea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable, others skilledin the. art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Thisinvention relates to an improved con structi'on of locking-bands for securing the covers of'pneumatic tires forwheels suchas are described in Patent No. 647,077, -,The special feature of thosebands which are continuous rings consists in their conical form, the diameter at the inner edge exceeding that at the outer edge 'v his has the effect of causing the thickened e' ge of the tire cover on inflation to'force the band toward the middle plane of the wheel, andthereloy secure the attachment of the cover.

According to the present invention thebands are not continuous rings, but are furnished with one or more joints and are adapted to permit'the circumference'of the band on completing its insertion into the wheel to be expanded to a sufficient extent'to grip and he gripped by theedge of the cover securely, independently of the inflation of the tire.

The new construction facilitates the manipulation of a heavy tire, such as is required for a motor, and permits'of an adjustment of its circumference so that it may adapt itself to tire-covers of different thicknesses. Q

There are various ways in which the ends of the discontinuous hand may be hutted and jointed. In all of'them the securityof the connection is derived from the interlocking action of the joint under the action of a tangential thrust alon' the band dueto the clasticity of the whee and tire-cover after the band has been forced into lace. Y i

To effect the fastening, t e ends are thrust apart a very small distance farther than the normal position they will occupy, and in the subsequent approach theyseat themselves one into the ot er in such a way atto ermit of no lateral displacement of the en s relatively to one anotherjoutward from the 'wheel parallel to-theaxis or inward in the direction 0:? the radius.

In-order to-xclea'rly explain how my invention is carried 'into'practical efi'ect,reference will nowhe made to the accompanying drawings, in-which-ewhee fitted with a pneumatic tire secured in position by one form ofthe locking-bands.

Figs. 2 and 3 are; other views, on a larger e 1 shows a section of therim'of'a scale, of a portion of "the locking-band alone,the band in thiscase being provided with a retaining-flange; One of the most simple forms of interlockingbutt-joint is also shown. in these figures;

I Figs. 4, 5, and-6 are three views of the joint of a band which has not got a flange. Figs. 7 and 8 show the con- :struction of and method "of using the tool; employed inserting 'and removing the' band. Fig. 9 shows a modification of them-- terlockingbutt-joinualso a device for providing'the requisite flexibility to bands of large section used in otor-wheels', and, further, a device for adju ting the length of the circumference to adapt the bands to covers alternative'form of joint;

For the purpose of explainin the nature of the invention it Will he desirahle to make a ofvarious thicknesses; and Fig. 10 shows an short reference to the previous. patent, N o.

647,077, in which itwas described how a pneuinatic-tire cover could be secured to the rim of a wheel. which has a section shaped like a in Fig.1. "The thickened edges b b of the tire-cover G wereinserted into recesses formed within the rim of the wheel and held in .place by the introduction on each side of the wheel of a circular band (1, this hand having such a section that the diameter at the part d toward the central plane of the wheel was greater than at (1?, the surface (1 (i being slightly coned. When the tire was inflated, the effect of this construction was to cause the thickened edge topress on thebandin such a way as to provide a component force tending to urge the band toward the central plane of the wheehand thus securely lockthe I IOC' and in place {but in order that the continuous hand may be inserted it is necessary in this construction that the diameter of the portion d should not exceed the diameter at the poin e, and therefore for the lockinghand to e effective it is requisite for it to besomewhatg accurately fitted. This sometimes involves a difliculty in its insertion and removal.

' overlap one another, can be easily inserted in glace and then expanded to its full diameter.

' p relatively to a radial y means of this improvement, not only can the edge d of the cone be made larger in diameter than at the point e, but an outwardlyextending flange d can be provided on the major portion of the circumference of the band and inserted behind the thickened edges of the tire-cover, so that'the band and tire may be firmly held in place, each securing the other independently of the inflation of the tire.

The butt-joint, where the several ends of the band meet, is so constructed that a tangential thrust along its length causes each end to hold the other and prevent any relative displacement either in the direction of the axis or in the direction of the radius of the wheel. One of themost simple forms of this joint is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and also in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. In these there is a stepped butt-joint with three surfaces of mutual contact f, g, and h. 9 lies in a plane parallel to the central plane of the wheel, and the surfaces f and h, which are parallel to one=an other, are made oblique, both to the central plane of the wheel and also to a radial plane through the axis of the wheel. When the two ends are butted together, the first of these two obliquities, together with the surface 9, will preclude any relative motion of the ends in a direction parallel to the axis of the wheel and the second-mentioned obliquity of the surfaces f and h, together with the effect of a sole-plate is, will preclude any radial separation of the two ends. plate 76 is fastened by rivets orbrazing to one of the ends, as shown. The sole-plate may be dispensedwith if the joint is made with a stepped surface, as shown in Fig. 9, in which there are surfaces of mutual contact Z m n 0 p, of which the obliquity of the surfaces land lane through the axis of the wheel is equal but in the opposite direction to the obli uity of the surface 12 The band shown in Flgs. 1, 2, and 3 is provided with a flange d of which the portion in the proximity of the joint at one end tapers away to nothing. To insert this band. tightly into a wheel, the end or the right-hand side of Fig. -3 is first inserted into place and the-rest of the band caused to follow, the

- band being sufliciently flexible to be somewhat reduced in, diameterfor the purpose. When nearly in place, the ends will lie by the sideflof one another overlapping each other, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. To oomplete the insertion,it will be requisite to force the ends away from one another in a tangential direction. This is readily per- The solefrom one another and, at the same time to 4 give the end which is not completely inserted a push toward the middle plane of the wheel,

the stud r on the lever is inserted into a small hole rovided in the end of the band which was rst inserted in place and the stud t on the link 8 into a corresponding hole formed in the other end, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7. The lever is forced in a direction to cause a thrust along the link. The chief component of that thrust will be in the direction of the tangent; but there will also be a component in a direction toward the middle plane of the wheel. The two ends being by this means thrust away from one another a slight distance more than suificient to bring the oblique surfaces together, the whole length of the band will be forced into one plane, as shown in full lines in Fig. 7, and

on relaxing the pressure on thelever the elasticity of the wheel and tire-cover will cause the ends of the band to butt together and become interlocked with one another. To remove the band, the studs are inserted into the holes conversely and a force is applied to the lever in a direction to again cause a thrust along the link 8, when the effect will be to displace from the wheel the end of the band last inserted. Instead of providing holes in theband and studs on the lever and link, the band may conversely carry the studs and holes be formed in the lever and link. the link is in both operations subjected to a thrust a hole in the linkwill not be necessary. A groove would be sufficient for the purpose. In order to insert or remove a band, it is necessary that it should be capable of being elastically distorted out of one plane. In the case of bands of considerable section and small diameter, such as may be required for the wheels of motors, the rigidity may be too great for this purpose, in which case a portion Inasmuch as of the band is joined to the remainder, as

shown at u in Fig. 9. It may also be desirable to adjust the length of the circumference of the band inorder to insert it or remove it, if very rigid, or to adjust for varying thicknesses in the material of the cover or slight disoonformity in the diameters of-the rims of the wheels. This can be readily effected by the joint 1), Fig. 9, in which the screw to is double-ended with either a right and a left handed thread or with one thread only, the other end being simply a dowel. There is yet another kind of butting-joint shown in Fig. 10. In. this case the butting-surfaces consist of one plane only, oblique in both of the previously-mentioned directions, a soleplate being provided. as pravi nnslv described.

. center of theband, as shown, in such away that a-thrust along-the band when transmitted along the link :0 makes it turn in such a direction as to cause the butting-surfaces to approach one another transversely. Insteado a nearly complete flange (1 being used, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the greater portion may be removed, leaving projecting earsat intervals only. Instead of the band being in one piece and having only one butting-joint it may be made in separate pieces having two or more butting-joints What I claim is 1. A discontinuous locking-band for securing the cover of a pneumatic tire to the rim of a wheel in which the butting ends of the band are stopped and the surfaces thereof cut obliquely ,both to the central plane of the wheel and to aradial plane passing through the axis of the wheel, and to one end of which a sole-plate is secured.

2. A discontinuous locking-hand for securing the cover of a'pneumatic tire to the rim of a wheel in which the butting ends of the hand are shaped to interlock in one another,

the band having an outwardly-extending flange on its inner edge of which a portion on one side of the point of division is omitted.

3. A discontinuous locking-band for secur mg the cover of a pneumatic tire to the rim of a wheel in which the butting ends of the band are shapedto interlock in one another and near the ends of which'transverse sur- 7 of a wheel in whic faces are rovided adapted to receive the ressure 0 a tool to spring the ends of the and apart.

4. A discontinuous locking band for securing the cover of a neumatic tire to the rim ii the butting ends of-the band are shaped to interlock in one another and near the ends of which holes are rovidedto .receive studs formed on a too to spring the ends of the band apart.

5. A discontinuous locking-band for securing the cover of a pneumatic tire to the rim of a Wheel in which the butting-ends of the band are shaped to interlock in one another andin which one portion of the band is pivoted to the other and inwhich a further ]oint is provided which is adapted to adjust the.

length of the circumference of the band.

6. A combination .consisting of a wheel-r m provided with recesses formed Within its internal periphery, a tire-cover having fortified edges adapted to fit into the before-mentioned recesses in the wheel-rim and a discontinuous locking-band the butting ends of which are so formed as to precludelateral dis-- placement relatively to one another without tangential separation of the ends substantially as described. y

In testimonywhereof'l have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

' JAMES COTIRELL. Witnesses: v

T. A. HEARSON, WALTER J. S-KERTEN. 

